


A Fool's Masquerade

by Forest_Girl



Series: Spardacest Week 2020 [2]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alcohol, Aliases, Character Study, Devil May Cry 1 Novel, M/M, aka Gilver has thoughts about Tony, and Tony has thoughts about Gilver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24283075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forest_Girl/pseuds/Forest_Girl
Summary: After a drinking competition, two brothers' lives change. For better or worse, only time will tell.
Relationships: Dante/Vergil (Devil May Cry), tony redgrave/gilver
Series: Spardacest Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1750273
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	A Fool's Masquerade

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: Fake Names. 
> 
> I've been dying to write some Tony and Gilver stuff, even though I've never read the novel. I love trying to incorporate both of these idiots' "I need a fake name" phase into the more streamlined canon, and this was a fun thing to write to explore their characters a bit more! It was fun writing a slightly serious Dante and an unhinged Vergil instead of my usual interpretations of them lol.
> 
> Still, apologies if there's any contradictions here with the novel. The only thing I have for reference is the wiki, and details aren't very... well, detailed.

Vergil left the bar, carefully walking down the darkened streets with only his katana occasionally tapping against the concrete sidewalk to fill the silence. His hands clenched and released periodically at his sides, and the bandages wrapped around his head felt suffocating. It was only years of tested patience kept him from ripping them off, and keeping his more… demonic nature at bay.

Because, back in that _disgusting_ bar, his long-thought dead brother was paying for a fourth round of drinks with his stolen money.

Vergil’s rage spiked, and he ducked into an alleyway, briefly checking for any moronic humans that may try to assault him before he sat down, cross-legged, and meditated. All this time, his brother was alive. He’d looked for Dante, even after seeing the floors of his childhood home stained crimson, holding on to the naïve hope that his brother had escaped the initial attack. After gaining enough strength, he’d returned to Redgrave and looked through records, scoured the orphanages and foster records for any trace of him.

There were no Dantes, and he gave up the little bit of hope he’d maintained. He suppressed his humanity and any more faint hopes he’d managed to cling to, ruthlessly pursuing methods to unlock his father’s power and avenge their family.

Except, there was one member of his family left. Dante, all these years, had evaded his sight and survived, most likely through luck. He’d changed his name, wielded human guns, and buried any trace of their heritage.

Granted, saying that what Dante did was stupid would be a lie. It was an almost decent plan to hide his trail from demons, and it had worked, to some extent. Vergil had found him, and he’d done most of the same strategies. They’d both changed their names (and, if Vergil were in a better mood, perhaps he would relent that ‘Tony’ was a much better alias than ‘Gilver’), and tried to hide their origins.

But Dante had not a care in the world for whoever found him. Where Vergil had hidden his face and hair beneath layers of bandages and done his best to suppress his demonic energy, Dante was as bombastic in his displays of strength and prowess as he was when they were children, only doing the bare minimum to protect his identity. If Vergil were a fool, he would say Dante’s barely-there energy was the result of a protective ward, but he could sense that Dante’s demon lay dormant, slumbering deep within his soul, never having tasted violence or bloodshed or pain. Dante should have been able to recognize him, his soul aching for Vergil, just as Vergil’s had ached for him.

But ‘Tony Redgrave’ hadn’t batted an eye at him. Instead, he drank him under the table, stole his money, and moved on.

His brother would have cared about him. Tended to him. Asked ‘where have you been?’ and badger him relentlessly until his walls came crashing down, because they always would fall around Dante.

But ‘Tony Redgrave’ didn’t care. He lived a simple, human life, killing and only demanding money in return. Perhaps, after a decade of luck protecting him from demons and being sheltered from all manners of cruelties, he’d decided to cast his life out on a whim.

Vergil couldn’t understand _why._ Dante had allies, income, and a place to stay that brought him joy. Vergil would have razed the entire city if he could have had half the life Dante had, if this is what it brought him. How many nights had he slept in rain-soaked alleyways, while Dante had likely spent his life sheltered, protected, in a home that loved and protected him?

Had Dante thrown away everything that reminded him of his past? Had he done his best to bury his memories and nature, even change his name to separate himself as much as possible, and try to live a disgustingly _human_ life?

…Did Dante throw him away, too?

The furious energy welling within Vergil burst around him. The bandages around his face pulled taut, then snapped as his body shifted into that of his demonic form. He roared, the ground around him shaking and the nearby windows shattered. A nearby car alarm went off, causing several dogs to start barking, and the buildings’ windows lit up with panicked humans running around like headless chickens.

Vergil stood up in the dirty alley, nothing that the area he’d been sitting in had cratered slightly. It seemed he still had to practice more in order to keep himself completely in control of himself. He tsked, flapping his wings and rolling his neck before travelling further into the darkness, letting his energy burn off the further he travelled.

For now, he would be quiet. He would take more jobs, search for more information on his father’s legacy, and observe. He would watch the mercenaries and demons, strike when the time was right, and survive, as he always had.

And then, when everything was in order, Vergil would bring his brother back. He’d expose him to the truth—they were twins, bound by their soul, heirs to Sparda’s power. Together, they would destroy the demonic ilk that festered in the human world, and complete their father’s legacy.

But, in order for any of that to happen, he would have to destroy ‘Tony Redgrave’

Vergil grinned, his demonic features twisting it into something maniacal. Yes, yes, that’s exactly what he would do. And, once Dante had awakened from the dream-like life of ‘Tony Redgrave,’ they would be unstoppable, _together,_ at last.

* * *

“Hey, did you hear about the demon spotted a few nights back?”

“Mmm?”

“Guess that’s a no, huh? It fucked up the alley a couple blocks from here. Folks thought it was an explosion or an earthquake at first, but then someone saw a guy with horns walking around.”

“Shit, and it looked kinda human?”

“Walked on two legs, if that’s what you mean, but that’s not the worrying part. Someone saw Gilver nearby before everything went to shit, so…”

“Hmph, if the bastard’s dead, that’d be a blessing. Jackass can stop stealing my kills at the last minute.”

“Aw, what a cruel thing to say Jacob!”

“It’s the truth. If he keeps stealing jobs, then the bastard’s going to get bit in the ass sooner or later, and I’d prefer _sooner.”_

Tony Redgrave gripped his shot glass tighter, free hand shaking at his side before he downed the whiskey in one go, tired of eavesdropping on some happy merc couple. He didn’t know why the thought of Gilver, a man he’d met only a few days ago, either in danger or dead troubled him so greatly. He was a mercenary—he killed people and demons alike without flinching, and plenty of his colleagues had died under more uncertain circumstances—and the bandage-wearing weirdo had stolen a fair amount of his own kills as well. He really _shouldn’t_ care if he was dead.

But something deep within him did. Some buried part of himself, something he hadn’t touched since… probably before the orphanage. Gilver felt oddly familiar and, though he was a gigantic prick, Tony had wanted to know the man better. Perhaps, one day, he would have been able to see the face hiding behind the bandages.

He’d imagined what his face looked like over the past few days. Perhaps it was covered in horrific scars, a mottled mess detailing a grizzly past. Or maybe his skin was smooth and flawless, his features sharp and angular, as cold as Gilver’s voice.

Tony shook his head and slid his shot glass towards the bar tender. “Another.”

“You sure? You’ve drank a fair bit tonight.”

Tony glared through his bangs—why couldn’t it have been Grue manning the counter tonight? Why did it have to be a new guy?—and growled. “Give me. Another.”

The bartender paled and hastily grabbed the whiskey, filling his glass to the brim. Tony nodded his thanks and looked down at the amber liquid. He reached under his shirt and pulled his childhood amulet free, running his thumb over the silver edge.

He didn’t care about Gilver, he told himself as he stared down at his distorted reflection in the red gem.

But deep down, he knew he was lying.

**Author's Note:**

> Slight headcanon territory here: Dante has trauma-induced amnesia following the attack on his childhood home to protect himself mentally and took Eva's advice _very_ literally. He forgot basically everything about himself, was found by social services a few months after the fire occurred, and took on an entirely new name. It wasn't until he fought "Gilver" for the first time that he regained some of his childhood memories.
> 
> In other words, "Gilver" absolutely believes that Dante just left everything behind because it was unimportant, but in reality Dante's brain put up so many amnesia blocks that he genuinely doesn't remember anything about himself, so he's never bothered trying to look for Vergil simply because... he doesn't remember having a brother. At this point, Rebellion is likely back at the Sparda estate, hidden somewhere Dante and Vergil haven't looked, and Dante's only link to his past was what he had on him: his mother's amulet, which he doesn't fully understand the significance of.


End file.
